• Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil.

• Pre-heat tea pot by rinsing with hot water.

• Use 1 teaspoon of tea or 1 tea bag per cup of tea. For loose tea, place directly in water or use a tea infuser.

• Pour boiling water over tea.

• Brew the tea for 3 to 5 minutes by the clock.

• Use a tea strainer for loose tea.

• Pour in to your cup and enjoy.

Hints:

1. Begin with cold water when brewing tea.
2. never boil tea.
3. tea preparation:allow 3/4 cup boiling water to 1 heaping teaspoon loose
   tea or 1 teabag. Strength may be varied by increasing or decreasing one or the other ingredient.
4. to brew a perfect cup of tea,warm the teapot with boiling water and let
   stand for a few minutes. Drain and add 1 teaspoon tea leaves for each cup needed. Pour boiling water over the tea and let steep for 3-5mins before serving.
5. When preparing larger quantities allow tea to steep 5mins longer.
6. to prevent bitter tasting tea, remove teabags after tea has steeped.
7. hot tea: When serving steaming hot tea in a delicate chinacup, place a
   spoon in a cup.This helps avoid cracking the cup.
8. For your party: Put tea leaves in a cheesecloth bag or a large tea
   strainer,tightly sealed,so that the tea leaves do not filter into the
   tea.Pour hot water over the tea and allow to steep for atleast 10 mins.
9. For fruity teas- brew/mellow black tea leaves in apple, pineapple, apricot, cranberry or three favourite organic fruit juice
   which has been brought to a boil. Serve with a cinnamon stick.
10. For a touch of flavor store tea bags in a jar with citrus peel, vanilla
    bean or cinnamon sticks/cardamom
11. For a really good tart tea, substitute sour(not spoiled)oranges for orange
    juice.
12. Serving lemon quarters or halves with tea for a fresh lemon tea.
13. Iced tea: For extra frosty iced tea,store glasses in the freezer for 30
    mins before serving.
14. Make ice cubes with left-over tea.these cubes added to a drink will not
    dilute the beverage.
15. Freeze fruit juice for ice cubes, add to tea and garnish with sprigs of
    fresh mint.
16. Iced tea requires half as much sugar if sweetened hot rather than cold.
17. When preparing iced tea for a crowd, vary the flavor by adding 6 ounces of frozen limeade to 1 gallon of tea.

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Masala Chai

 
Unblended Darjeeling Tea

• Masala Chai requires heavy stainless steel pots for brewing.

• Tea can be brewed in water or directly in milk.

• Skim milk is delicious for chai. (hint: once the tea leaves are added to milk heat it on medium temperature so as to have a full bodied brewed taste).

• Tea may be brewed in skim, 2% or whole milk.

• For a more intense flavor, grate fresh ginger into chai as it brews.

• Fill tea kettle with cold water and heat.

• When the water reaches a rolling boil, warm teapot by swirling hot water in it and pouring it out.

• Place one tea spoon of tea leaves per cup into your pot.

• Pour hot water over the tea leaves and infuse for two to four minutes.

• Pour the tea into the tea cups.

• Do not let infused tea remain in tea pot for more than 5 minutes.. Pour remainder into a thermos to enjoy later.

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• Store chai masala and tea leaves in a cool, dark place.

• Keep closed to prevent air from infiltrating.

• Use only dry utensils with chai masala and tea leaves.

• Brewed chai can be kept for a few hours, but should be strained immediately to prevent an excessively strong tea flavor.

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